Court Adjourns El-Rufai’s Bail Hearing to March 31 After Arraignment

A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has adjourned the hearing of the bail application of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to March 31, 2026, following his arraignment on alleged corruption-related charges.

El-Rufai was on Tuesday brought before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and arraigned before Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa.

During the proceedings, the former governor was docked on one count out of a 10-count charge filed by the anti-graft agency. The charge, according to his counsel, Ubong Akpan, relates to alleged deposits into a domiciliary account and the monetisation of earnings.

El-Rufai was arraigned alongside a co-defendant, Joel Adoga.

Despite pending applications earlier filed before the court, Justice Aikawa proceeded with the arraignment and subsequently adjourned the matter to March 31 to consider all outstanding applications, including the bail request.

No bail application was moved or granted during Tuesday’s session.

Speaking to journalists after the court sitting, Akpan maintained that there was nothing unusual about the proceedings, adding that the defence team was yet to be served with processes relating to other potential charges.

The case is expected to resume on the adjourned date for hearing of the bail application and other pending matters.